More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you October’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“The Mentor’s Guide. Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships” by Lois J. Zachary (Jossey-Bass Inc. Publishers, 2011, 288 pages, ISBN: 9780470907726; $42)
In this second edition of her original 2000 book, Lois J. Zachary presents a comprehensive guide to mentoring. She explores how mentoring has evolved and how its foundational principles match those of adult education. She describes how mentors and their protégés can learn about themselves and how that self-knowledge strengthens the mentoring process. She offers case studies and role-playing exercises participants can use to prepare for the mentoring process. By its nature, mentoring poses challenges because it involves adult learning. Zachary clarifies the mentor’s role: Promote learning by focusing attention on the person being mentored. getAbstract recommends Zachary’s insights to HR professionals, mentors, “mentees,” and anyone considering a mentoring relationship.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Twisted Leadership. How to Engage the Full Talents of Everyone in Your Organization” by Charles C. Manz and Craig L. Pearce (Maven House Press, 2017, 160 pages, ISBN: 9781938548864; $21.95)
In many organizations, leadership has become a snarled-up mess. Prescriptions for improving leadership often rely on outdated common wisdom and the paradigm of layers of centralized autocrats. To overcome this “leadership disease,” say business professors Charles C. Manz and Craig L. Pearce, your company should move beyond conventional tactics and embrace “twisted leadership.” This strategy regards leadership as a “complex social process” that unites “self-leadership, SuperLeadership, shared leadership, and socially responsible leadership.” Manz and Pearce advocate flexible managerial assignments and shared power. Although the authors indulge in jargon, their book is reader friendly. It includes helpful charts, diagrams, and illustrations, as well as workbook pages at the end of each chapter for writing about the lessons you’ve learned. getAbstract recommends this not-so-twisted approach to executives seeking a fresh look at the issues inherent in leadership.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Crossing the Thinnest Line. The Possibility, Power, and Payoff of Embracing Diversity” by Lauren Leader-Chivée (Center Street, 2016, 322 pages, ISBN: 9781455539055; $15.99)
The subject of diversity carries fresh urgency, with racial inequalities in the headlines, civil unrest reappearing, and immigration igniting debate—even as the U.S. grows ever-more diverse. This engaging report by diversity adviser Lauren Leader-Chivée makes a data-driven case that U.S. businesses and civic institutions must prepare for a society in which members of minority groups will make up more than half the population within a few decades. No one escapes scrutiny here—business, government, educators, and the media all must do more to give women and minorities a voice. While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends Leader-Chivée’s persuasive case for championing diversity to HR professionals, executives, community activists, and those who work with U.S. immigration policy.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
